\tFacebook Restricts PM Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Content Weeks Ahead of Hungarian Election – Hungarian Conservative<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Skip to content<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tFacebook has begun restricting posts by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n just weeks before the high-stakes parliamentary election in April, following a mass-reporting campaign linked to former Meta employee and Tisza party figure D\u00f3ra D\u00e1vid. The move comes as the European Commission activates its rapid response system to monitor and restrict online content during the campaign.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Facebook has begun restricting content from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n just weeks ahead of the high-stakes parliamentary election scheduled for 12 April. According to a post on X by right-wing political commentator Mario Nawfal, the move followed a call by a member of the opposition Tisza party, D\u00f3ra D\u00e1vid\u2014a former employee of Meta\u2014who urged supporters to mass-report Orb\u00e1n\u2019s posts.<\/p>\n Nawfal also raises questions about the online performance of Tisza leader P\u00e9ter Magyar, whose engagement figures are described as disproportionately high compared to those of global political figures, despite Hungary\u2019s relatively small and linguistically limited user base. It further alleges that Magyar has used a personal \u2018professional mode\u2019 profile rather than an official political page, potentially circumventing Meta\u2019s established rules governing political content.<\/p>\n According to Nawfal, there are also concerns about the neutrality of Meta\u2019s content moderation practices, as a regional official has publicly expressed positions aligned with mainstream European narratives, including pro-Ukraine messaging and content critical of the Hungarian government.<\/p>\n Nawfal\u2019s post was shared by Political Director of the Hungarian Prime Minister Bal\u00e1zs Orb\u00e1n.<\/p>\n According to another X post by Irish economist Philip Pilkington, the Meta official involved in moderating the content of Prime Minister Orb\u00e1n is Oskar Braszczy\u0144ski, Meta\u2019s Government & Social Impact Partner for Central and Eastern Europe. Pilkington points to possible connections of Braszczy\u0144ski to Hungarian opposition circles, pro-Ukraine positions and broader progressive causes, citing publicly available social media profiles. The post further notes that Braszczy\u0144ski is Polish and appears to reside outside Hungary, arguing that this raises concerns about foreign influence over political content moderation in the country.<\/p>\n Meta\u2019s censorship comes just days after the European Commission activated the rapid response system<\/a>, aimed at \u2018countering potential disinformation campaigns\u2019 ahead of the Hungarian election. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed that the mechanism\u2014agreed upon by 44 signatories, including major platforms such as Meta and TikTok\u2014will operate until one week after the vote.<\/p>\n Describing the system as voluntary, Regnier stated that it involves cooperation between technology companies, fact-checkers, and civil society organizations to ensure that suspected foreign interference, particularly from Russia, is swiftly identified and addressed.<\/p>\n